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Metta World Peace Says Elbow On James Harden In 2012 Was Not Meant For Him

It’s been almost a decade since Metta World Peace went viral for throwing an elbow on former Oklahoma City Thunder shooting guard James Harden. The former Los Angeles Lakers defensive artist now emerges to clear up what really happened back then.

Back in April of 2012, the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder in Staples Center. With less than two minutes left in the second quarter, World Peace, caught Harden with a hard elbow following a dunk that got the crowd on its feet.

Harden crashed to the floor before leaving the game with a concussion. World Peace was ejected from the game and eventually faced a seven-game suspension going into the NBA playoffs.

While everyone knew World Peace hit Harden on purpose, the defensive-minded forward now said that it was never meant for Harden while looking at it as a very unfortunate situation. 

“It wasn’t meant for James.

I didn’t even know who was behind me. I just felt someone push me; I didn’t know who it was.

It was very unfortunate.”

Metta World Peace on elbowing James Harden in ’12 Playoffs: “It wasn’t meant for James,” he tells @BallySports.

“I didn’t even know who was behind me. I just felt someone push me; I didn’t know who it was.

“It was very unfortunate.” pic.twitter.com/L9Y2Y2fHrv

— Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) September 27, 2021